Dynamic kite



1955 R. P. HOLLAND, JR 2,693,724

DYNAMIC KITE Filed March 12, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w INVENTOR EYE: E- Emu/lo Pflaunno J2.

ATTORNEYS Jan. 4, 1955 R. P. HOLLAND, JR 2 DYNAMIC KITE Filed March 12, 19s1 2 Sheets-Sheet z w /I&( m. E-

INVENTOR Fmwmva PHaumva Jk.

ATTOR NE 25 United States Patent DYNAMIC'KITE Raymond P. Holland, Jr., Roswell, N. Mex.

Application March 12, 1951, Serial No. 215,075 11 Claims. (Cl. 244-154 This invention relates to a dynamic kite, which may be flown alone or in multiple flying as shown in patent application Serial No. 55,116 filed October 18, 1948, now U. S. Patent No. 2,562,789 of July 31, 1951.

The dynamic type of kite differentiates from the static type in that the latter never moves rapidly when changing its position in space. It moves so slowly, in fact, that the forces due to its accelerations are insignificant in their influence upon flight stability. Hence, the position of the center of gravity is unimportant. The equilibrium is principally static. The dynamic kite, on the other hand, is one in which adequate winds'change its position in space at relatively high rates of speed, so rapidly in fact, that the forces due to its accelerations are important to flight stability. Therefore, the equilibrium must be dynamic and the position of the center of gravity of the dynamic kite has a profound effect on its stability.

It is a primary object of this invention to apply modern principles of aerodynamics to kite design so as to produce a kite of greater flight stability and lift, as well as greater maneuverability.

Another object of the invention is to manufacture a kite which has a close resemblance to a plane, both from the standpoint of the application of aerodynamic principles and from the standpoint of appearance.

A further important object is to provide a kite construction which will have its center of gravity well forward in the kite while maintaining good weight economy.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a kite having a novel tail structure which attains maximum flying performance under various wind conditions.

Still further objects of the invention consist in providing an inexpensive construction suitable for mass production at low cost, by eliminating unnecessary reinforcements and by providing the parts for retail in dismantled shape and in handy package form, while still affording maximum ease of mounting of the parts as well as foolproof assembly thereof. 1

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel assembly of cover member and guying strings of increased durability and accurately controlling the aerodynamic characteristics of the kite.

With these and other objects in view, the accompanying drawings and detailed description of the invention are set forth for the purpose of fully explaining the various features constituting the invention, and are not to be regarded as limiting the scope and spirit of the invention except as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the assembled kite as it appears in flight;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cover member of the kite showing its relationships with the outline string and the wing stick;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view with the spacing of the section of the outline string exaggerated to show the path of the string forming the outline and rigging for the assembled kite;

Figure 4 is a section along line 4-4 of Figure 1 illustrating the camber of the wings;

Figure 5 is a fragmental plan view of the construction ]details at the juncture of the wings and fuselage of the ite;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of an instruction card on which die-cut blanks for forming the nose and tail surface are scored;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the packaged kite ready for sale and as presented to the retail trade;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the unrolled package illustrating the camber of the cover member; and

Figure 9 isja partial section along line 99 of Figure 2.

In its broadest concept this invention embodies a kite of high aerodynamic proficiency having a long-narrow wing, a relatively forward center of gravity and a string tie-point close thereto. structed withthe long narrow wing, but these havebeen of the static type, in that they did not possess the essential quality of having a relatively forward center of gravity and a string tie-point close thereto. Only a dynamic kite can have an airplane-like silhouette with long slender wings and be capable of fast, graceful and high flight in brisk choppy winds even though flown by an unskilled operator. Balance alone makes this result possible and balance is predicated upon the location of the center of gravity toward the forward end of the kite.

It is also contemplated that several kites of the type herein described be flown from one ground cord by attaching the flying cord of one kite to the bridle of a second kite beneath the first in the manner particularly described in the aforementioned application for patent. Unique means are also provided for a new kind of kite tail and for receivably connecting it to the longitudinal member constituting one element of the kite frame. Means are further provided for forming a dihedral wing having an opening therethrough for the passage of the flying or ground cord for attachment with another higher flying kite as mentioned above.

Referring to Figure l, the frame or body member of the kite of this invention is formed by a wing stick 10 lashed to the upper surface of a body stick 11 by means of a string 12 with the forward end 13 of the body stick projecting well forward of the point of lashing in order to move the center of gravity of the plane forward. In this manner, a kite of exceptional stability in gusty and rough winds and capable of moving at high velocities is obtained. The forward end of the body stick 11, the tips 14 of the wing stick 10, and the aft end 15 of the body stick are notched in the conventional manner for the reception of an outlining string, designated generally by 16.

The outlining string 16 extends from the ends of the body stick 11 and tips of the wing stick 10 to combine with the sticks in forming a support for a cover member 17 which forms the lifting surface of the kite. The cover member 17 may be of any suitable light Weight material such as a strong tissue paper or fabric and is substantially T-shaped. The top portion of the T forms a wing 18 having a length or span several times its width while the vertical portion of the T forms a fuselage 19 of the kite. As seen in Fig. l the body stick 11 is bowed downwardly from its forward end 13 to its rear end 15, whereby the angle of attack of the rear portion 19 of the cover member 17 is less than that of the forward portion 18. The forward edge of the Wing 18 is wrapped over and glued or otherwise secured to the wing stick 10.

At the center of the wing stick 10 where it is lashed to the body stick 11, a hole 21 is provided in the cover member 17 through which the aft portion of the body stick 11 extends over the cover member. In gluing the wing 18 to the Wing stick 10, the edges 22 and 23 of the wing 18 adjacent the hole 21 are glued to the wing stick 10 a distance apart slightly less than the width of the hole 21 to provide slack in the wing permitting additional camber in the wing and providing space for the aft portion of the body stick 11. In addition, excessive tension forces on the cover member 17 when the kite is assembled and the wing stick 10 bent to give the wing the proper dihedral are avoided. The slack created in this manner is illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings.

As is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, the kite is provided with a tail member 24 formed of a piece of very light cardboard scored along a series of parallel lines 25 to facilitate folding into a series of rather flat pleats. The tail is provided with a series of holes 26, one in each fold, in alignment along the center of the tail through which the aft end of the body stick 11 passes. The support derived from the body stick 11 and the series Previous kites have been conof folds provides a tail member of sufficient rigidity to stand air speeds of as high as 40 miles per hour even though constructed of a lightweight, relatively flimsy material which has little effect on the location of the center of gravity of the kite. The tail member 24 is decorative, increases the stability of the kite, and partially governs its trim in pitch, but has little effect as a lifting surface.

A nose piece 27, preferably in the shape of a propeller, is mounted on the forward portion of the body stick 11 just forward of the wing stick 10, in the same manner as the tail member 24. The nose piece 27 is decorative in that it increases the resemblance of the kite to an airplane and is of value in moving the center of gravity of the kite farther forward.

As is best illustrated in Figure 3, the outlining string 16 extends from its end 28 inward at an angle to a point 29 at which the wing 18 and fuselage 19 of the kite intersect. From intersection 29, string 16 extends to the aft end of the body stick 11 to form a loop 30 that does not engage the notch in the aft end of the body stick. The string then passes forwardly and to the right to a point 31 at which the fuselage intersects the wing. The outlining string 16 extends from point 31 forwardly and to the right to the notch in wing tip 14. From wing tip 14 the outlining string 16 extends forwardly and to the left to engage the notch in the front end 13 of the body stick 11 and thence passes to the left and rearwardly to engage the wing tip 14 of the wing stick 10. From left. wing tip 14, string 16 extends to the right and rearwardly to intersection 29 and thence to the notch at the aft end 15 of the body stick 11. String 16 passes from the rear end 15 to point 31 and thence outwardly to the end 32 of the string.

In the construction of the kite, the outlining string 16 is arranged substantially as illustrated in Figure 3 and glued in place on the cover member 17, and the edges 33 and 34 of the fuselage 19 are folded over the outlining string and glued in place against the main body of the fuselage. Similarly, the trailing edges 35 and 36 of the wing 18 are folded over against the main portion of the wing and glued in place to secure both strands of the outlining string at the trailing edge of the wing in place against the cover member 17. Prior to the gluing of the edges 33, 34, 35 and 36, slack is provided in the outlining string 16 at the intersections 29 and 31 where the fuselage joins the wing and the outlining string changes direction. In this manner, some of the tension force resulting from the assembly of the kite and the stretching of the outlining string over the body and wing sticks is transferred to the cover member and any tendency of the outlining string to rip the cover member along the fold of the trailing edges 33 and 35 near 29, or of the trailing edges 34 and 36 near 31, is minimized. Clearly, the order of the assembly steps may be varied.

The gluing of the outlining string to the surface of the cover member avoids the necessity of proper tying of a knot to control the length of the string. The construction of the kite can, in this manner, be very carefully controlled during manufacture and the amount of dihedral resulting from bending of the wing stick is taken out of control of the user of the kite, thereby insuring a properly constructed, aerodynamically efficient kite. The wing stick 10 is placed near the forward edge 37 of the wing member which is folded over the wing stick and glued in place against the main portion of wing 18 in a manner similar to the gluing of the outlining string to the cover member. As mentioned above, slack is left at the center of the wing to avoid excessive stresses on the cover member.

The kite is packaged for sale by placing the body stick 11 adjacent the wing stick 10 and rolling the cover member rather tightly over the two sticks. The portion of the outlining string 16 ahead of the wing stick 10 is tucked under the cover member as it is rolled, and the loop 30 tied over the rolled package. Ordinarily, the tail member 24 and nose member 27 are die punched on a card such as 38 in Figure 6 and wrapped once around the packaged kite and stapled in position in the manner illustrated in Figure 7 to hold the package in the rolled condition, or the package may merely be tied with a separate string. When the kite is packaged in this manner, the cover member 17 is curved and the kite possesses the proper camber for high aerodynamic efliciency immediately upon its assembly. During use of the kite, curvature of the cover member 17 increases and further improves the aerodynamic properties of the kite.

In assembly, the loop 30 is untied, the card 38 is removed from the rolled kite, and the cover member is rolled from the body stick 11 and wing stick 10. The kite at this time possesses substantially the shape illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings. The tail member 24 is punched from the card 38, folded along lines 25, and the holes 26 opened. Similarly the nose member 27 is pressed from card 38 and the holes opened. The body stick 11 is inserted through the hole 21 and the tail member 24 and nose member 27 are mounted on the aft and forward ends of the body stick respectively. Then the outlining string 16 is stretched over the tips 14 of the wing stick 10 and the forward and aft ends of the body stick 11 which aligns the two sticks in the proper position for lashing.

Any suitable tail such as indicated at 39 is then tied to the loop 30 at the aft end of the kite and the flying string 41 is secured to the body stick at the region of the hole 21 in the cover member which is substantially the center of gravity of the kite. If a train of kites is to be constructed then a line 42 to the second kite is also tied to the body stick 11 where it passes through hole 21.

It will be noticed that a flap 43, unsupported by a rigid frame member, is formed along the trailing edge of each of the wings. The flaps are triangular in shape, tapering from a base of some width at the extreme outer ends, to a point at the juncture of the fuselage and the wings. The flaps give the kite an airplane-like appearance and improve the aerodynamic properties of the kite. While unsupported, the flaps are of double thickness of the cover member and are held together with a layer of glue, and, hence, are of sufficient rigidity to influence the lift of the wing 18 strongly. Proper application of the glue to the portions of the cover member forming the flaps 43 will cause the flaps to curl, thereby increasing the camber of the wings and giving a kite of high aerodynamic efliciency even prior to stretching of the cover member through use.

The increased breadth of the wings at the tips resulting from the presence of the flaps increases the resemblance of the kite to aircraft and also increases the stability of the kite. If the kite is rolling, the descending wing tip encounters air moving relatively upward and the ascending wing tip encounters air moving relatively downward. The increased area of the wing at the tip thus opposes rolling which often causes conventional kites to swoop to the ground.

The flaps on the rear of the wings provide the desired broad wing tip without the necessity of a rigid frame member extending rearwardly from the wing tips and allows the construction of a kite having a center of gravity located far forward in the kite. The attachment of the flying string at the center of gravity of the kite combines with the high ratio of span to width of the lifting surface gf the kite to give an exceptionally fast flying and stable ite.

I claim:

1. A kite having its center of gravity relatively forward, comprising a dihedral lifting surface having a rear portion whose angle of attack is less than that of the forward portion, a body member carrying the lifting surface, a tail surface carried by said body member, said body member having a single linear longitudinal projection, extending a substantial distance forward of the lifting surface to bring the center of gravity of the kite well into the forward region thereof, and a flying cord attached to the body member at a point approximating the center of gravity of the kite.

2. A kite having its center of gravity relatively forward, comprising a dihedral lifting surface having a rear portion whose angle of attack is less than that of the forward portion, a body member carrying the lifting surface, a tail surface carried by said body member, said body member having a single linear longitudinal projection extending a substantial distance forward of the lifting surface to bring the center of gravity of the kite well into the forward region thereof, said lifting surface extending rearwardly to said tail surface and a flying cord attached to the body member at a single point approximating the center of gravity of the kite.

3. A kite having its center of gravity relatively forward, comprising a lifting surface, having a rear portion whose angle of attack is less than that of the forward portion, a body member carrying the lifting surface, a tail surface earned by said body member, the lifting surface forming a dihedral wing of a length several times its width along its medial axis, said lifting surface also including a fuselage extending from the trailing edge of the Wing to the tail surface, said body member having a single linear longitudinal projection, extending a substantial distance forward of the wing to bring the center of gravity of the kite well into the forward region of the lifting surface, and a flying cord attached to the body member at a point approximating the center of gravity of the kite.

4. A kite comprising two rigid members at right angles to each other, said members having notches at each extremity, a single piece of string wound around said members and fitting in said notches, said string having an unattached free loop at one extremity of one of said members, a kite tail secured to said loop, and a cover member for said kite, said cover member being secured to one of said members and to said string.

5. A kite comprising a body stick, a wing stick at right angles thereto, a single piece of string wound around the extremities of said sticks in such manner as to form a double strand aft of the wing stick and on each side of the body stick, said string having a free loop near the rear end of the body stick for the attachment of a kite tail thereto, and a cover member for the kite forming a wing having its leading edge secured to said wing stick. said cover member also having portions folded over and secured to the adjacent double strand of the string to form flaps for the trailing edges of the wing.

6. A kite comprising a body stick and a wing stick at right angles thereto, a single piece of string wound around the extremities of said sticks in such manner as to form a double strand aft of the wing stick on each side of the body stick, said string having a free loop near the rear end of the body stick for attaching a kite tail thereto, and a cover member for the kite forming a wing having its leading edge secured to the wing stick, said cover member also having portions folded over and secured to the adjacent double strand of the string to form flaps for the trailing edges of the wing, said cover member extending from said flaps toward the aft end of the body stick to form a fuselage, and said string being made slack between the two divergent branches of the double strand, between the flaps and the fuselage, to transfer tension from the string to the material of the cover.

7. A kite comprising a body stick and a wing stick secured at right angles thereto, a string wound around the extremities of the sticks, and a cover member forming a lifting surface for said kite, said cover member being secured along its edges to the wing stick and string, the attachment of the cover member to the wing stick being so constructed and arranged as to allow a laterally slack portion, providing a longitudinally extending channel in its forward central portion to allow passage of the body stick and allow bowing of the sticks without exerting undue tension on the cover.

8. In a kite, a Wing stick, a cover member forming a wing and a fuselage, said fuselage secured to the trailing edge of the wing, and leading edge of the wing extending over and secured to the Wing stick, an outlining string glued to the trailing edges of the wing and the edges of the fuselage, said string being slack at the juncture of the fuselage and wing.

- 9. In a kite having its center of gravity relatively forward, a dihedral lifting surface having a rear portion whose angle of attack is less than that of the forward portion, a body member supporting the lifting surface, said body member comprising a wing stick and a body stick secured at substantially right angles thereto, the body stick extending well forward of the wing stick to place the center of gravity of the kite Well into the forward region of the lifting surface, and a tail surface mounted directly on the aft end of the body stick, said tail surface formed of lightweight material pleated to form a substantially rigid member of light weight.

10. A kite having its center of gravity relatively forward, comprising a longitudinal stick and a cross stick secured together at right angles, at a point well aft of the forward end of the longitudinal stick, a cover forming a lifting surface, mounted on said sticks and extending only rearward from the cross stick, the angle of attack of the rear area of said lifting surface being less than that of the forward area thereof and tension means engaging the four tips of the sticks to maintain the sticks in deflected position, whereby said lifting surface assumes a dihedral orm.

11. A kite comprising a lifting surface having an upwardly concave form laterally across the lifting surface and longitudinally across the rearward portion of the lifting surface, and a narrow member of relatively dense material extending forward, well clear of the lifting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,321,957 Wanner Nov. 18, 1919 1,849,133 Baker Mar. 15, 1932 2,161,921 Fritzen June 13, 1939 2,257,298 Hahn Sept. 30, 1941 2,349,417 Gene May 23, l944 2,394,366 Chu Feb. 5, 1946 2,442,417 Lang June 1, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,952 Great Britain of 1911 596,046 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1947 

